Attic Storage Over Insulation

Place flooring over insulation to make your attic space functional.

Attic storage over insulation.

How to build a raised storage area in your attic. Attics are generally covered in batting or blown insulation. However if you keep the storage weight to a minimum you may be able to build a storage platform above the insulation by attaching supporting beams to the sides of the trusses. Now we have attic storage over the garage and it s a whole different way of storing.

Do not put flooring or boxes directly on top of your insulation as squashing insulation halves its effectiveness. To give yourself enough space to ensure adequate insulation under the flooring construct a riser of 2 x 4 s in the attic over the existing joists. Hire a pro to install spray foam insulation. Attic insulation between roof trusses.

To solve this problem construct a raised platform from 2 4 or 2 6 lumber placed on edge add insulation between the joists and then cover it with 1 2 plywood. Very easy to install. Attics are great for storage but flooring directly over the attic floor joists doesn t provide room for the recommended 12 to 16 of attic insulation needed to keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This will make the installation of these new joists easier while spreading the weight across several joists.

But once you have got all that insulation you cannot use the attic for storage anymore and you cannot see where to step safely. By adding the boards you increase storage space for items not needed often allowing you to move those items out of the main house and reduce clutter. If blown in insulation is used control the height or thickness of the layers so boards can by laid over top without having to compact the filler. Can t store anything that won t be able to take extreme temps living in michigan we get extreme hot and cold in attics that aren t climate controlled.

If you re considering turning your attic into conditioned storage or living space it s worth changing tactics to insulate between the rafters and wall joists instead of the floor. Place a 2 inch by 3 inch board directly on top of the joist nearest to the edge of the attic with its largest. A place for storage a place to decorate in a fun way a place to work out and for the kids to play. The extra batting increases r values so it further slows warm air.

Walk to one end of the attic by carefully stepping only on the wooden ceiling joists. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. Even easier you can also use a prefabricated attic floor kit designed specifically to raise the attic floor above the insulation. You can use rigid foam panels or do as tom silva does with nearly all houses these days.